Quit To Win: 12 Things It's Perfectly Okay To Run Away From

For years my parents instilled in me the idea that you should never run away from your problems. You stick them out no matter how difficult or uncomfortable because, in life, you can’t run away from something just because you don’t like it. Well, Mom and Dad, I disagree.

While I respect you for the lessons you were trying to teach me, now that I’m standing on my own and looking at life from a clear distance... I have to say, you were wrong about that.

Sometimes you have to quit things. Sometimes you have to run away. Sometimes you try something and it doesn’t work out and it would be a waste of your time to try stick it out. Sometimes it takes more guts to quit something than to keep doing it.

People will drag you down, jobs will kill you and regrets will destroy you from the inside out. Things like these, parts of life that aren’t fulfilling you or giving you what you need, should be left behind.

Refusing to quit the job you hate because you’re scared to follow your true passion is not the “respectable” decision -- it’s the cowardly one.

I’m all about the quit. I’m all about trying things out, putting them on and leaving them just as quickly.

Life isn’t about making one permanent “life changing” decision after another, it’s about making a ton of little ones and leaving and learning from each one.

1. A volatile relationship

That relationship -- you know the one -- the one that’s less of a relationship and more of a toxic wasteland of good sex and bad conversation... it needs to be terminated.

You need to quit that; get at least 50 miles apart in literal distance and emotionally detach yourself off a cliff.

2. That job you hate

Quitting a job isn’t the same as getting fired. There’s no shame in leaving work, but there’s shame in never trying to find work that’s right for you. If you hate your job, quit.

If you just hate working, then either get a better work ethic or learn how to make money without leaving your bed. There’s no excuse for laziness, but there’s always an excuse for quitting.

3. A toxic friend who won’t leave you alone

There’s no statute of limitation on friendship. Just because you were friends 10 years ago doesn’t mean you owe them 10 more.

If every time this person asks you to hang out you start scrambling for the next best excuse, it’s time to quit it. It’s a lot more hurtful to cancel on someone 15 times than to just be real with him or her.

4. The friend you are always taking care of

Sometimes people need to learn to take care of themselves before they can commit to any type of relationship -- platonic or not. When you’re taking more care of your friend then you are yourself, it’s time to reevaluate.

Of course, if your friend is going through a rough time and needs your help, never abandon him or her. But if this person needs to be "rescued" every day, it might be time to call the drama department.

5. Your sh*tty roommates

There’s a common link between how often you get along with your roommates and how often you want to jump off a cliff. If you don’t like the people you’re living with, you probably don’t like your life.

Why waste it with people who don’t know how to respect you or your space? Quit them the same way they quit buying toilet paper.

6. The city that’s sucking the soul out of you

Contrary to your miserable beliefs, most people like where they live. It’s a huge world and if this city isn’t making you happy, there’s literally millions more that could.

Why live your life in one place you hate? Run away, don’t look back and try to land somewhere warm (like Barbados or Hawaii).

7. A future you don’t want

You're allowed to run away from dreams that aren’t your own. There’s no shame in backing out of someone else’s plan for you. There’s strength and honesty in that.

Living your life for yourself is the most honorable life you can live. Always run away if it means running toward something better.

8. Opinions that weigh you down

Why can’t you run away from what people think? Most opinions are as arbitrary and unnecessary to your life as the people giving them.

You’re your own person and you define yourself by the opinions you keep, not the ones being thrown at you.

9. Your old self

Who said you’re stuck with only one version of yourself? WE can update as many times as Apple does in a year.

There are multiple versions of yourself, that’s the whole idea behind growing. We shed layers and levels of ourselves every day and there’s no shame in leaving your old, bruised self behind.

10. The person you can’t say no to

You just have to say it once. You just need to leave that person one time, but with enough force, to rid him or her from your life forever.

If you can’t stick up for yourself in a relationship, it’s not a relationship at all; it’s an unlawful employment. You are working for that person and you aren't getting any benefits in return.

11. All those failures

You’re supposed to run away from failure. If you didn’t, how could you ever find sucecess? Your failures are meant to stay in your past. You’re supposed to learn from them, grow from them and then throw them far, far away.

12. All those comparisons

Why the hell are you running toward others and away from yourself? You've got it backwards. You're supposed to be completely obsessed with finding yourself, not finding everything you don't have.

You are who you are, nothing is going to change about that. The sooner you run away from those comparisons, the sooner people will start comparing themselves to you.